Apparatus for treating wires and cables.



L. W. GHUBB & H. R. EDGEGOMB. APPARATUS FOR TREATING WIRES AND GABLES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1910.

Patented July 29, 1913.

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LEWIS W. CHUIBZB, OF WILKINSBURG, AND HENRY R. EDGEGOMB, OF EDGEWOODPARK,

, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC 82: MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA. v

APPARATUS FOR TREATING WIRES AND GABLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentcdtluly 29, 1913.

Application filed January 26, 1910. Serial No. 540,220.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LEWIS W. CHUBB and HENRY R. EDoEooMB, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Wilkinsburg and Edgewood Park,respectively, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Treating Wiresand Cables, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to systems and apparatus for electrolyticallytreating wires and cablesto produce insulating coatings on theirsurfaces.

The object of our invention is to provide a system of the-characterabove indicated which shall embody simple and durable apparatus andshall permit a plurality of wires or cables to be continuously treatedat the same time and be always accessible.

According to our present invention, we provide a series of liquidcontaining tanks having narrow, oppositely located slots or notchesthrough which the wire or cable to be treated is passed and out of whichthe liquid is permitted to flow continuously. Receptacles are providedbelow the tanks for catching the liquids discharged from the tanks, andmeans are provided for again using the same liquid and thus making theprocess continuous, with a constant quantity of liquid.

We prefer to emplov several groups of tanks, arranged one above anotherand supported by stand-pipes which, at the same time, providecommunication between them, each stand-pipe being provided with areservoir in which the level of the liquid is maintained constant. Itmay be found desirable to permit the liquid from one tank to overflowinto the tank next below instead of providing special receptacles forcatching the overflow.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is adiagrammatic View of a systemembodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation disclosing thestructure of one groupof tanks such as are shown in outline in Fig. l,and Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are detail views of the tanks and theirattachments.

Referring to the drawings, the system here shown comprises a pluralityof stand-pipes 1, 2, 3 and 4, which are preferably arranged side-by-sideand are severally provided with a plurality of liquid-containing tanks5, liquid-supply tanks or reservoirs 6, 7 8 and 9 respectively locatedat the tops of the stand-pipes which are supplied from. them; adistributing reservoir 10, which supplies electrolyte to the reservoirs7 and 8, a plurality of gathering reels 11, a driving motor l2 therefor,supply'reels l3, exhaust reservo rs 14, 15 and 16, fluid pumps 17'. and18, driving motors 19 and 20 therefor, and an electric generator 21. r

The tanks 5 are arranged in groups of two, as shown in Fig. 2 of thedrawings, and are supported by and communicate with the stand-pipe whichis located between them. i receptacle 22 is supported directly beloweach tank for the purpose of catching the liquid which is dischargedfrom it, and the amount of liquid supplied to each tank is regulated bya valve 23, which is located between the tank and the stand-pipe.

The stand-pipes have corresponding tanks which are in alinement wit-heach other and which constitute a series or group through which one ofthe wires to be treated is passed. The number of tanks attached to asingle stand-pipe will depend upon the number of wires or cables whichit is desired to treat at one time, and may be varied. as desired.

The tanks 5 may be of any suitable form, the semi-cylindrical structureshown in the drawings being preferable. Insulating blocks 24 and 25 arelocated at opposite ends of the tanks and are provided with narrow slotsor notches 26, through which the conductor may pass below the level ofthe liquid within, the liquid flowing constantly through the slots ornotches into the receptacles 22 which are located below, as alreadydescribed.

The slots 26 are so narrow that the liquid escapes from the tanks at arelatively slow rate, and, consequently, the liquid level may readily bemaintained by properly regulating the amount of liquid which ispermitted to enter the tanks from the stand-pipes. The insulators 25differ from the insulators 24 in that they are provided with outwardlyextending nose projections 27, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of thedrawings, which contain small bodies of liquid through which the wireenters the tanks pertaining to the stand-pipe2, and which are connectedto the negative terminal of the electric generator 21. The projections27 extend outwardly from the tanks in the direction from which the wireis fed, and, conse uently, a relatively high resistance, for e electriccurrent through the wire and through the liquid in the tanks is firstprov ded, by reason of the small volume of l1qu1d 1n the projections 27.

The voltage impressed upon the conductor is, therefore, increased untilit is a maximum within the tanks. This gradual application of voltagehas been found most advantageous in producing an lnsulatlng coating onthe conductor under treatment. The long nose projection 27 of theinsulator 25 is obviously a very simple means for accomplishing thisresult and makes the use of more than one tank, in which theelectrolytic process is carried on, unnecessary.

The tanks secured to the stand-pipe 4 contain a suitable cleaningsolution. The tanks secured to the stand-pipes 3 and 2 preferablycontain a sodium silicate solution, and the tanks secured to thestand-pipe 1 are preferably filled with hot water. The circuitconnections for the tanksare clearly indicated in the drawing, thepositive terminal of the generator 21 being connected to conductingplates or linings 28 within the tanks of thelstand-pipe 3, and thenegative terminal being similarly connected to the tanks of thestand-pipe 2.

The operation of, and circuit connections for, the system are asfollows: Assuming that the receptacles 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are partiallyfilled with liquids suitable to their 10- cations in the system; if thevalves 23 are so regulated that'liquid is fed from each of thestand-pipes to each of tanks 5 and overflows int-o the receptacles 22,liquid will be discharged through pipes 29, 30 and 31 into the receivingtanks 16, 15 and 14.

In order that the liquid in the supply tanks may be replenished, thepumps 17 and 18 are so operated by the motors 19 and 20 that liquid isforced from the receiving tank 16 into the supply tank 9 and from thereceiving tank 15 into the reservoir 10. The tank 6 is supplied from anysuitable source, such as water main 32, and is maintained at propertemperature by a gas burner 33 or by any other suitable means. Liquid issupplied from the tank 10 to the tanks 7 and 8 through speciallyconstructed discharge pipes 34 and 35 which are perforated to permit thefluid to be discharged in a large number of very small streams, thisbeing done to include high resistance between the tanks 7 and 8 and thusminimize the electric current leakage from one to the other, through theliquid in the supply reservoir; The pipes 34 and 35 are preferablyprovided with valves 36 and 37, which are controlled by floats 38 and 39and which are arranged to automatically maintain substantially constantliquid levels in the tanks 7 and 8.

The conductors from the supply reels 13 are connected to the gatheringreels 11 and are then dropped into the series of tanks through whichthey are to pass, the slots 26 being adapted to receive them. Theelectric motor 12 is then operated to draw the Wires through the tanksand, as soon as the process is under way, the conductor is automaticallywashed and prepared in the tanks of stand-pipe 4; is supplied withelectrical energy in the tanks 5 of stand-pipe 3, and iselectrolytically treated in the tanks of standpipe 2. Finally theconductors are washed in the hot water tanks of stand-pipe 1.

The tanks of the pipe 4 may be omit-ted and any other means for washingthe conductor may be substituted for those of the pipe 1.

If it is desired to inspect any portion of the wire, or if it isnecessary to take the wire out at any stage, it is only necessary tostop the motor 12 and'to lift the .wire out'of the tanks, using aninsulating hook or holder until the wire is completely separated fromthe tanks of the pipe 2. This is obviously very simple and easy andrenders the conductors accessible at all times. The multiple arrangementof tanks permits a number of conductors of the same or difl'erent sizesto be treated at one time and makes the ap--- paratus practical forcommercial service on a large scale. A q

The structure of the apparatus and the arrangement of parts in thesystem may be modified within the spirit and scope of our invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. In wire coating apparatus, the combination with a liquid-containingtank having open-top slots in its opposite walls throu h both of whichthe liquid is permitted to discharge, of means for passing a conductorthrough said openings and through the liquid.

2. In wire coating apparatus, the combination with a liquid-containingtank having open-top slots in its opposite walls extending below theliquid level and means for maintaining asubstantially constant quantityof liquid in said tank, of means for continuously passing aconductorthrough the slots and through the liquid.

3. In wire coating apparatus, the combination with a plurality ofliquid-containing tankshaving narrow slots in their opposite walls, acommon reservoir from which the tanks are supplied and automatic meansfor maintaining the liquid level above the bottoms of said slots, ofmeans for passing a conductor to be treated continuously through theslots in the successive tanks and through the liquids therein, the slotsin the tanks being in alinement with each "other and the liquid beingthrough.

4. In wire coating apparatus, the combination with a stand-pipe, aplurality of lquid-containing tanks, supported by and connected to saidpipe and having narrow slots in their opposite walls, and aliquidcontaining reservoir from which the standpipe is supplied andmeans for passing a plurality of conductors through the slots in therespective tanks and through the liquids contained therein, the liquidin each tank being permitted to continuously discharge through theslots.

5. ire coating apparatus comprising an open receptacle having notches inits opposite walls and means for maintaining a substantially constantliquid level Within the receptacle, the liquid being permitted tocontinuously discharge through the notches.

6. Wire coating apparatus comprising an open receptacle, notchedinsulating blocks set in opposite Walls of the liquid-containingreceptacle and having outwardly extending projections for guiding theliquid permitted to discharge therewhich is discharged from thereceptacle through the notches.

7. In wire coating apparatus, the combination with a plurality of groupsof liquidcontaining tanks or receptacles, each having narrow slots inits opposite walls, the receptacles of each group being substantially inthe same horizontal plane, with their slots in alincment, of means formaintaining a substantially constant; liquid level in each of the tanksor receptacles, and means forcontinuously passing a conductor throughthe slots in the tanks of each group and below the level of the liquidtherein, the liquid in each tank being permitted to dischargecontinuously from the slots.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 19thday of Jan., 1910.

LEVVIS' V. CHUBB. HENRY R. EDGECOMB,

W'itnesses:

L. M. KLAUBER, B. B. HINEs.

